A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to headbands wearable about the head of a user, and more particularly to an improved headband having a flexible strip arranged and adapted for selectively attaching a pair of eyeglasses to the headband band by looping the strip around a nose bridge of the eyeglasses.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Persons who wear eyeglasses or sunglasses for vision improvement and/or safety during strenuous activities, such as work activities involving power tools or athletic activities, often experience slippage or complete disengagement of the eyeglasses from an intended position as a result of perspiration, sadden movement of the head, or unexpected contact. Repeated slippage of the eyeglasses necessitates repeated, and often annoying, corrective manual pushing of a nose bridge of the eyeglass frame upward to reposition the eyeglasses in their intended position. Complete disengagement of the eyeglasses from their intended position can result in bending or breakage of the eyeglasses, and exposure of the wearer to unsafe risk of harmful contact of a foreign object with an eye.
Combination headband and eyeglass apparatuses are known to provide a more secure means for wearing eyeglasses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,051 issued May 1, 1979 to Van Tiem et al. discloses a pair of eyeglasses having a headband portion adapted to encircle the head of a wearer, and an eyeglass frame removably attachable to the headband by pivot support connected to the nose bridge of the eyeglass frame and having a VELCRO-type hook pad for attachment to the headband portion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,793 issued Oct. 29, 1985 to Yoon teaches a headband having a pair of holder assemblies releasably attachable to the headband for holding left and right side bows of an eyeglass frame. Finally, U.S. Design Pat. No. 325,590 issued Apr. 21, 1992 to Galy discloses an ornamental design for a combined eyeglass and support headband wherein a nose bridge thereof extends upward and is integral with the headband.
The above-identified apparatuses suffer certain drawbacks. The apparatus of Van Tiem et al. requires a special eyeglass frame having a hexagonal cross-sevction nose bridge for pivotal mounting of the frame, and it requires a screwdriver for vertical adjustment of the frame. The headband of Yoon is relatively difficult to put on because the lateral support loops must be fit onto the bows of the eyeglass frame and attached by hook and catch fastener to the headband at a height which ensures proper balancing of the frame on the head of the wearer. If a loop is not properly placed, repeated detachment and reattachment of the fastener pad may be required to obtain a comfortable fit. Finally, the design of Galy must be prefit and does not allow adjustment of the position of the integrally connected eyeglass frame. Also, the headband portion of the Galy design does not appear to be an elastic material capable of absorbing perspiration.